Police in England have dropped a four-month criminal investigation against a street preacher whom they arrested and jailed for eight hours following allegations of “hate speech” regarding Islam and transgender ideology.
Avon & Somerset Police on April 8 told the Rev. Dia Moodley, 58, that they will take no further action following his Nov. 22 arrest in the Broadmead shopping district in central Bristol. Authorities detained Moodley for “inciting religious hatred” and a Section 4A religiously aggravated public order offense under the Public Order Act 1986.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International, a legal advocacy group supporting Moodley, said police jailed the pastor for eight hours, visited his home, interrogated him under caution, and imposed initial bail conditions. Those conditions banned him from entering the city center, which prevented him from preaching there over Christmas.
“I’m glad Avon and Somerset Police decided to eventually do the right thing and drop their criminal investigation,” Moodley said. “This is a win for free speech, but I never should have been arrested, treated like a criminal and investigated for months for peacefully sharing my faith in the public square.”
The police previously arrested the pastor for commenting on Islam and transgender ideology while street preaching. Following his first arrest in March 2024, authorities also dropped that investigation.
“Avon and Somerset Police have arrested me twice because my lawful speech was seen as offensive to some Muslims and people with a progressive worldview,” Moodley said. “Meanwhile, the police have shockingly failed to investigate violence and threats against me, committed by those who object to my speech. This is the definition of two-tier policing and must end. What has happened to this country, that police ignore clearly criminal incidents like this most recent one – which I perceived to be a threat of violence – and choose instead to criminalize Christian speech?”
Police did nothing after bystanders repeatedly threatened Moodley as he preached, according to ADF International.
The most recent incident involved explicit threats from a Muslim bystander against the Christian preacher. On April 4, Moodley preached in the city center regarding the resurrection of Christ, arguing that unlike other religious figures, only Jesus rose from the dead.
“Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad and your favorite philosopher did not rise from the dead, only Jesus rose from the dead,” Moodley said during his street sermon.
A camera captured a Muslim bystander who appeared to warn the preacher.
“If you do that again bro, we’ll send the boys round… we’ll have someone have a word with you,” the man allegedly said.
Avon and Somerset Police told Moodley on May 1 that the threat, although unpleasant, did not constitute an offense.
Jeremiah Igunnubole, legal counsel for ADF International, said the police decision to drop the recent investigation vindicates Moodley’s lawful conduct.
“He has been repeatedly arrested, imprisoned, and told that expressing his Christian views is a criminal matter,” Igunnubole said. “On every occasion, he has challenged this state overreach and prevailed. It is deeply troubling, however, that police treated Pastor Dia’s constructive comments on Islam and gender ideology – remarks which were made in good faith, were an expression of his core Christian beliefs and which explicitly invited dialogue – as a criminal matter, while dismissing a clear and dangerous threat made against him by a Muslim bystander as merely an ‘unpleasant’ incident.”
Igunnubole labeled this approach to law enforcement “two-tiered” and said it produces “unjust and discriminatory outcomes.”
“It can only be addressed by repealing the underlying censorial legislation and renewed efforts to retrain ideologically motivated police forces who too often find themselves unable or unwilling to differentiate between a lawful exercise of fundamental rights and actual violent criminality,” Igunnubole said.
The attorney called for an end to what he described as a “war of attrition against free speech in the U.K.,” citing Moodley’s case as a primary example.
“Censorial laws need to be repealed urgently, and stronger protections, including a Free Speech Bill, are needed to reverse the growing culture of censorship within law enforcement,” Igunnubole said. “We remain fully committed to standing with Pastor Dia as he considers legal action against the police for these violations of his rights and their failure to protect him from serious crime.”
Moodley said he is consulting with his legal team about taking legal action against Avon and Somerset Police for violating his rights.
“I will continue to share my faith publicly, undeterred by the police’s censorship and the threats and violence I have faced, and will stand for free speech not just for myself, but for the rights of all people in the U.K.,” Moodley said.
